Overwatch: Drop Zone
by CoolGuy999
Summary: The year is 2060. Terrorist group Talon control the city of Numbani. They are searching for something beneath the dark streets. Enter recently-recruited Overwatch Agent Spectre. His mission: Stay Alive, meet up with his broken squad, and escape the ruptured city. Stop Talon, and find out who or what was the cause of this... Feel free to fav, comment, and critique how you please
1. Chapter 0: Introduction

Chapter 0: Introduction

One thing I have noticed over my time of playing Overwatch is how sparse and minimal the lore is ingame. This was likely done to get the player into the game moreso than the story, but the lore that has come out has been asking me for more. As such, this Fanfiction's intent is to take the spotlight away from the main characters and focus on the other members. The characters in this story are not OCs, but rather are taken from the Animated Short: Recall and the Comic made for Ana, Legacy. If you haven't checked out these pieces yet, both offer a bit of expansion to the story and Overwatch itself, and are both great as they are. Happy Reading!

Here's an index of the main characters for reference:

Spectre- images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTPskKH8AOE0yem6SqY7AM3BSSPa5OoaNyFCCI_Hg-R_8oa-T4V

Juan-Claudio Valdez- images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSLPAhMlwYAW8oW1SvhTLYxSOYJWx6bfoC2ZgW-KQRIxf5JzfphPQ

Kimiko- images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRpxTkded8R8SzC6PjGc52oV6pMId32-kEvwl-GthzmQSVcTvQn

Mirembe(with Kimiko)- images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSPQNgtaDRmkvvAcL3YvGOu9OSQQbM63eUFdDCUckXxOdq7xKVt

Singh (Far Left)- images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTxWJ3gYqOP-cejEq90XtvANDTtMy4dlZLVIOz8QJTqtyGUiqzR

Bayless-Can't find a clear image, he's the tanned blonde guy with the crew cut in the Ana Legacy Comic.

Overwatch and related characters are ©Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.


	2. Chapter 1: Drop Zone

Chapter 1: Drop Zone

5 November 2060, 1600 Hours (Military Calendar)

Overwatch VTOL Troop Transport CC-594

Above Numbani, Off Nigeria.

Normally, the crew of Troop Transport CC-594 would have been relieved to be heading back to Numbani. Normally it was Overwatch tradition to send a Dropship back to an Overwatch-controlled city on shakedown runs to get the crew comfortable, and ready to get back to the borders fighting off terrorist organizations. Today was a little different. It was true that Troop Transport CC-594 was heading back to Numbani, but there was one issue:

Talon had found it.

The city was under attack.

The crew had heard about the one-sided battle that took place just three days before, where a fleet of just seventeen Talon Dropships managed to breach the city's perimeter, slip past their defense stations (and take some out to boot) then proceed to set up shop in the city, just one city on the planet to be precise.

Their job wasn't intended to be full-frontal assault, oh no. That would be suicidal. So why bother staying in the fight? CC-594 was doing taxi service today.

Overwatch. Tough-As-Nails Private Military Corporation. An all-volunteer service so they said. They were a special squad initially conceived by the United Nations. One ballsy US Soldier Jack Morrison approached the leader of the UN and used every military trick in the book and showed him what exactly was wrong with the world. Omnics. Terrorists. Corrupt Leaders.

The PMC was commissioned immediately afterwards.

"Man, Numbani's OR-14s are really putting up a good fight, huh?" said Private First Class Singh Vaswani. He was hunching over a holographic table which showed the African Utopia of Numbani. Their Dropship was marked approaching close by. Next to said Dropship were multiple box-shaped Dropships almost half a kilometer in length: Talon Dropships.

Corporal Kimiko Fujimara, mid-thirties, with dyed red-maroon hair, scoffed and said to the young agent with a slight twinge of a Japanese accent, "Of course they did, this is the 'City of Harmony!'"

"Well, better late than never. It's about time Talon stepped up to us." Strike Corporal John Bayless said, folding his arms and scrutinizing the carrier, his dark face reflecting off the table. Bayless snarled and said "Hey, just because Morrison isn't here doesn't mean we don't treat each other with respect, John. This is no time to be bitching."

Singh smiled slightly and shook his head. "Just saying, Kimiko, it looks like they missed one, and take it from me, it's kind of hard to miss something of this size."

Bayless checked his heavy pulse rifle. "Yeah, you would know, Kimiko." He said coolly.

Singh broke it up. "They didn't miss it, guys. They left it just for us."

"Ooh, I sure feel special now, John."

The alarms activated and an orange light bathed the main bay. This meant that their mission was confirmed and they were ready to roll.

The pressure door slid open at the far end of the briefing room. In walked in their commanding officer, Strike Gunnery Sergeant Juan-Claudio Valdez. It was the first time this group had gone on a real mission with Valdez. They hated to admit it, but they were what Overwatch called "Secondary" Agents meant to be sent out first before the higher-ups called in to assist. It was no secret that the world was tied up in a knot and now Talon was knocking on their door.

The second person was a woman they had never seen before. She appeared to be in her early thirties, black, curly blonde hair, and a COM earpiece. She was very attractive, though. "Wow, who is _that?_ " John asked, standing rigid.

"Looks important." Kimiko whispered in his ear.

"Oh, she's tight. I can tell by the way she walks." John said, grinning.

"Hold on, you can tell how stuck up a person is by the way she walks?" Singh asked with a curious tilt of his head.

"Oh yeah. Ten Credits, she's been with at least Amari."

Kimiko was not amused. "You're an animal, John." He said, to which Bayless gave a growl.

Juan-Claudio Valdez faced his men. "You know the drill, ladies and gentlemen. If you want to go pee-pee in your big boy pull-ups keep it to yourselves."

The woman walked pass the soldiers.

"Hey there." John couldn't help himself. The woman stared at him reproachfully.

Valdez angrily said, "Ten minutes to Drop. GET TO IT."

The Overwatch agents began to get ready for their drop. Routine stuff, free-falling from a hundred miles off the ground in their armor and insulated drop pods, before parachuting to the ground to kick some ass.

Captain Mirembe Cage looked at the men with curiosity. Truth be told, they seemed like run-of-the mill Overwatch soldiers.

"Secondary?" She asked Valdez.

Valdez shrugged, not avoiding an answer. "Hell, first the Omnic Crisis, now this…. who isn't? I must've lost hundreds of men, especially in Oasis."

Mirembe replied: "At least they listen; sure that some appear to be…interesting people but they know how to hear things."

"They listen to me. They know that I tell them what they need to hear. Right now, I don't think they're going to like what they want to hear."

"We have our orders" Mirembe admitted.

"Come on Mirembe, what could be more important than the Talon- "

"My _orders_." She walked towards the hatch. "And Valdez…Call me Captain. I'll pass on the business break, but you can lead me outside."

Mirembe passed the Overwatch agents who watched her as if the air went icy in her wake.

"What sort of armor was she wearing?" Singh asked. "That isn't standard issue, I'll tell you that."

"Dunno, Singh. Tell you one thing: I wasn't looking at her gear." John walked to the weapons rack where Bayless selected a Heavy Pulse Rifle. He turned it on and attached Helix Rockets to it. "Seriously?" Singh asked laughing.

Bayless didn't flinch. "I admire my choice of weapons, you know. We're going to be hitting the ground loud."

"Exactly." John grabbed a Heavy Shotgun and racked the pump.

Valdez said, "Second to last, right next to me."

Mirembe nodded, altering her course on her arm computer.

"Ooh, Cozy." John said, leaning on the weapon rack. "Are you going to tell us your name, gunny?"

" _Miss_ Enemy Intelligence." Valdez said through gritted teeth. "And our new leader. So check your mouths, find your rifles…" Grabbed a pistol and slammed it into John's chest. "and get SET for drop! Are we clear?"

"Yessir." They all said.

As Valdez walked away, they were left in silence, until Bayless took a few seconds to look at his new weapons.

"What am I supposed to do with this against Talon?" He shook his head and walked towards the drop pod. Inside one of them, still harnessed, was a sleeping Overwatch Agent. "Hey, Singh,get a load of this."

"Spectre" as the squad called their newest member, was a survivor of a recent attack on King's Row, England by Talon. The only one of his platoon to survive an ambush by Talon. When Overwatch found him, he was just hours away from starving to death. When he joined Valdez's squad, he went under this new codename, as he was still fairly new to the Overwatch way of life, and was given a set of thermal goggles to wear, to spot enemies more easily.

At present, he was enjoying a quick nap in his drop seat, until, that is, he was struck hard in the head with a pulse rifle." "Augh! I'm awake!" He exclaimed as he rubbed his goggled head.

"Wake up, Spider Eyes" chuckled John.

"Beat it, Bayless. For God's sake, can't you be serious once in your life?" Kimiko said.

"Not my fault four-eyes here decided to snooze on the job." He grumbled, walking away to his pod.

Kimiko looked at Spectre warmly.

"He's a prick."

"He didn't mean it, Spec. Besides, now's the time, for it pays to stay strong, and stay silent." She handed the young man a Pulse Rifle modified for urban combat.

"Thanks, Kimiko." He said sliding it into a weapon rack adjacent to his chair.

"Thank me when you let me take the first ten agents, Spectre!"

Spectre smiled he saw the top of the hatch and a harness close upon his shoulders. There was an airtight hissing as he knew that he was locked in. His pod was taxied out of the edge of the Dropship. He saw Numbani as it was below him. On his screens he saw voices of Valdez on the left and Mirembe on the right. They were conversing with each other.

" _Latest reports from Overwatch commands say that Talon soldiers are massing under the Heritage Museum. Not going to find out anything up here."_ Mirembe reported.

Valdez responded. " _Affirmative. Agents, we are go for drop on my mark."_

This was the signal. He knew what was coming. _"Mark!"_

Spectre felt his stomach shoot up to his throat as the pod thrusted down from the cruiser. He heard Bayless yell " _Yee-ha!"_ As his pod rocked past below him. Suddenly, an Overwatch dropship was seen floating nearby, venting red-and orange plumes of flames.

" _I take it back; Higher-ups are getting their ass handed to them!"_ John said, slyly.

" _Yeah?"_

" _Well, consider it a standing order."_ He said to Mirembe, " _We're about to pass through the magnetic field"_

" _Standby to adjust trajectory on my mark."_ Mirembe said, but it was more of a passive thing, as if they wouldn't notice it.

" _What did she say!?"_ Kimiko asked.

" _Mark!"_

As if on cue, the pods tilted. Spectre didn't know what was happening, but one thing was for certain: they were not headed for the museum.

" _We're going off course!"_ Singh blared frantically.

Mirembe on the other hand evenly said. _"Trust me, we're heading where we need to go."_

For some odd reason, Spectre had a sudden feeling of suspicion. _Where is it? Oh, something is not right here._

Singh also noticed something odd. _"Sergeant, we're going to miss the museum!"_

"I'm picking up high levels of electricity!"

" _Holy SHIT!"_ Bayless said. _"What the hell is going on down there!?"_

Mirembe's voice went frantic. _"Talon have set off a Sonic Blast!"_

Just out of the corner of his eye, Spectre could have sworn he saw the blast's point of origin.

" _It's a blast, we need to-!"_

Suddenly, the world went reddish-white. They knew this was the color of a Sonic EMP Bomb. In the far side of the city was an expanding red electrical bubble caused by the near-nuclear level blast. The bubble consumed the city, just as the wave reached them and SLAMMED Singh's pod into his. A large crack appeared on his viewscreen, and caused him to spin aimlessly.

"Mayday! I am in a spiral! Repeat, I am in a spiral!" Spectre tried to say.

Kimiko reported his own problems. " _Losing Power, fast."_

" _Alright, agents, this is it! Stabilize your pods now! We're coming in hard-!"_

The com line went dead. Spectre held on for dear life as the world was in a constant spiral around him. He heard stories of Overwatch Agents who couldn't stabilize quickly enough and suffered dying on impact, and other faulty pod tales. He prayed that this wouldn't happen and tried to find a way to save him from such a fate, but the G-Forces were too much. He passed out.

After all, he might as well have been dead from the start.


	3. Chapter 2: Ngume

Chapter 2: Ngume

5 November 2060, 2300 Hours (Military Calendar)

Ngume District, Numbani

Eight hours after Drop….

Spectre slowly regained consciousness, his head spinning. He didn't figure out that he wasn't in heaven until he felt a very strong, sharp pain in his back. Good. He was still alive. He had a brief flashback of training where Strike Commander Jack Morrison himself, leader of Overwatch, barking at the troops,

" _Just because you'll be used on occasion doesn't mean that you miserable lumps still have the strength to fight! Pain is just as part of life as love and death! Work it off!"_

He embraced the pain and used it to get back into his situation. He turned on a button on the side of his goggles, which illuminated his view with a blue filter and highlighted night vision. The sky was dark outside. Must have been some hours since the drop, and a light rain shower had come over the city. Spectre could hear the pitter-pat of droplets against his shattered canopy.

First, he had to get the bearings in where in the city he was.

"Status" he coughed dryly, his throat giving a hoarse tone.

" _Single-Seat Atmospheric Drop Vehicle at 15% operational capacity. Warning: Jump Jets Disabled. Warning: Emergency Sensors disabled. Warning Hatch Ejection Door Disabled."_

"Bollocks." Spectre growled. He was stuck in the middle of Numbani, unsure of what the hell happened, and he couldn't even release his harness and door.

Suddenly, from the corner of his vision he saw emergency bolts designed for this occasion. Usually, when the ejection door conked out, Overwatch Agents could detonate the bolts in the doors, allowing it to forcefully spring forward. It served also act as a projectile to anyone stupid enough to stand in front of the pod. A large metal door hurling over one hundred miles an hour wasn't something you could just shrug off easily.

Spectre armed the charges. He pulled each one of the levers.

A beeping was heard. Suddenly, an earsplitting bang was heard as the hatch of the pod flew out. It also fell about fifty feet before slamming into the roof of a transport bus.

"Bloody hell, that's a drop…." Spectre said as he cautiously peered over the pod door. He decided the odds. This pod coming down wouldn't be a pin dropping to enemy forces. He would have to move.

On the other hand, it had been quite a while since the impact. If Talon had been scourging the city for Overwatch agents, let alone him especially, they would have found him by now. Again, he countered that if he stayed, it would be easier to wait for his squad, then the thought-

"Screw it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained." He said, leaping over the edge.

He free fell for a second or two, landing hard on the concrete floor. He exhaled sharply as he heard a bone crack. It was true Overwatch Combat Uniforms were protective, but they were nowhere near as efficient or powerful as the armor Strike Team leaders wore.

Spectre seethed in hard to stop a scream of pain coming through. He looked up and down the street, carefully looking for Talon or snipers, and then he ran for it, pistol drawn.

" _Well, Tom, what are you going to do?"_

" _Require Medical Attention? Caduceus Health Packs provide top-of-the-line medical attention for half the cost, or your money back!"_

This caught Spectre by surprise. He jumped and accidentally put pressure on his wounded leg. "AUGH! COCKWOMBLE!"

 _Please visit a nearby Caduceus Dispenser for immediate medical treatment."_ A computerized voice said.

Spectre was in too much pain to bother arguing. He limped helplessly across the illuminated street where he saw one of the medical stations, with a waiting health pack. He grabbed it.

" _Thank you for your patronage."_ The voice said again. It seemed to be coming from the machine.

Spectre chuckled, and plopped himself down next to the machine. He unclipped his shin-guard and rolled up his suit leg. It appeared that the fall jammed his fibula against his femur and patella. He opened up the pack and found a small canister of gel-like substance. He rubbed some on his kneecap and found a moldable brace in the pack as well. After applying some heat via rubbing, he wrapped the brace around his leg, but not before adjusting it to its proper position.

"Ah, good." He said, rolling down his pant leg and clipping the armor back on. "Where am I?"

"Numbani, City of Harmony" The computer voice replied.

"No, I meant, where am I? In the city?"

"Ngume District, Numbani."

Spectre felt annoyed. "Can you give me anything more specific?"

The Machine just responded in the same monotone African-accented voice as it did previously, not showing any sign of proper emotion. Must have been getting sick of so many questions.

 _Tourists new to the city are advised to obtain a map from a Numbani Information Terminal."_

Suddenly, a waypoint appeared in his visor display. It showed that there was an item of interest some distance away from him. He nodded slightly, and rose to his feet, feeling better.

 _This suit actually works!_ He thought. He started toward the waypoint.

" _Please Keep Right. Obstruction prevents transit at this time. Thank you."_ The same computer voice said at this time.

Spectre came to the fork in the road and saw what exactly the obstruction was: A crashed Talon Troop Carrier blocked the entire road with black smoke spewing out of any crack that was on the damaged ship.

A yellow warning sign activated above Spectre's position.

" _Please Keep Right."_

"Right, I'm going! Don't get pushy."

Spectre jogged a bit up an inclined road and made into a small square. He did a quick glance down the street with his pistol carefully gripped. Satisfied that there was nobody out there, he trotted to the safety of the square.

It was dark here. He activated the night vision on his visor. Also, he noticed that a terminal was outlined in orange. Orange was usually color-coded to describe mission-critical objectives.

Did this AI just intercept his suit's systems and repurpose them?

This was one Harmonious city.

Spectre made his way towards the orange data terminal. He did occasionally look over his shoulder. He was jumpy. It was King's Row that did this to him, that was it. Ever since that day he cheated death, he had become much more cautious, much more aware of his situations. In many cases, this helped him. Other times (which was most of the time) It just plainly made him freak out.

As the keyboard fluctuated between English and Omnic, he tapped the ENTER key on the terminal. At once, a yellow-green sphere appeared on the screen. He had to assume that this was the AI, or as it said on the screen, the _Protector._

" _Welcome! Numbani Information Terminal Online."_

"Yes, hello. I'm here.

Within a second, there was a green light from the terminal.

" _Thank you for accessing! Please enjoy your stay in Numbani, City of Harmony!"_

"Right then." Spectre said, walking away.

He activated his map, which now gave him a visual of the entire city of Numbani. Needless to say, it was kind of hard to see it at first, until he zoomed in on his position. Then, something caught his attention.

Laying nearly a kilometer away, he saw a blip. An Overwatch drop pod. Best of all, it was Mirembe's.

This seemed the best course of action. If Mirembe was there, she could help find out where any of the other Agents were in the city. If she was dead, well…better to confirm than ignore.

"Attention to any Overwatch forces or Civilians in the Area, this is Strike Corporal-"

The humming of a gravity drive cut his transmission short. He made a beeline for some cover and looked skyward. The one thing that could make his day worse just showed up. A fully functioning Troop Carrier was bearing right above his position. A powerful searchlight on its nose combed the buildings.

So they _were_ looking for survivors. Spectre breathed a sigh of relief. If he had stayed any longer in the pod, he would've been taken prisoner or shot on the spot.

The Talon cruiser went low to the ground. Out of its troop bay came a squad of grunts, five in all, led by a squad leader. Spectre gulped, and then thought. Perhaps the night could work to his advantage. Sneaking past was not an option, so different measures would need to be taken. He holstered his pistol and drew out his heavy pulse rifle. He unclipped the silencer on the side of the weapon and began screwing it on just as he reached a tuft of tall grass, and took aim using the smart-scope on his visor.

He targeted the soldiers first, compensating for their weapons down. Spectre exhaled and pulled the trigger three times.

The pistol breathed three times and three soldiers fell dead from headshots. All within a matter of seconds. Before the others could do anything, the back two soldiers were dead. Spectre managed to clip one of their methane packs and send it in a gaseous corpse on the ground.

Enraged, the leader pulled out his rifle. Spectre held his breath and ducked low under the tall grass. The leader urgently began looking around the square barking out curses. When the leader came close to him, Spectre crept behind him and stabbed his combat knife in the side of his neck. The leader screamed at first but then collapsed.

Spectre pulled the knife out of the leader's head with a wet shnk, and wiped it out on his sleeve. Satisfied, he placed the knife back in his sheath, and crept up the road.

The place he needed to get to was located behind a building. The Protector had sealed the doors leading anywhere so he assumed that it wanted him to see something. A door leading into a hallway suddenly opened.

" _Please proceed with caution."_

Spectre walked in the doorway and down a hall. Lacking a Motion Tracker those fancy Primaries had, he had to rely on his visor. A few dead Overwatch soldiers lay dead on the ground, suggesting a battle had taken place. He confirmed this with accompanying Talon forces, blood splattering the walls.

He got even higher until he got into a room with windows, overlooking what was Unity Plaza, according to the map anyway. In the very center of the plaza was a crashed Overwatch pod, and several Talon corpses around it. He didn't see any Overwatch corpses down there so either the occupant survived the crash, or someone came along and took them.

Spectre continued to search for clues in the building. After a few minutes, he saw a broken screen on the wall. Usually, a screen like this wouldn't have been of much importance to Spectre.

But then again, how many wall-mounted screens had a piece of armor wedged in it? He stepped closer and yanked out the armor. Using both hands, he pried it from the screen. It came away after a good tug and the gash in the screen spat out sparks. Looking at it, he saw a huge crack down the center of the chest piece and emblazoned on the left, he saw the name: CAGE.

So this was Mirembe's armor. Did she make it out alive? Did someone come to look after her, or did Talon capture her. More importantly, how the hell did the armor get up here, wedged in the computer screen, no less?

Spectre looked at the helmet and ran his finger through the large crack. What did happen here?


	4. Chapter 3: Unity Plaza

Chapter 3: Unity Plaza

5 November 2060, 1610 Hours (Military Calendar)

Ngume District, Numbani

Immediately after Drop….

The EMP wave generated by the bomb was intense. A solid wave of electromagnetic particles and wind buffered the Overwatch Agents and scattered the pods like they were dust. Valdez and Mirembe managed to stay together, despite the amount of sudden turbulence.

"Mirembe, I can't hold it much longer!" Valdez said, gritting his teeth, fighting the spiral.

" _Just hold on a little longer, Valdez. We're getting close to the LZ!"_

"I can't hold it! It's not going to wo-"

The pod slammed into an office building. Juan-Claudio's pod managed to survive the impact and was flung right off it. Unfortunately, he also slammed into Mirembe's as well. He flipped over again until he slammed into a wall.

Valdez managed to keep consciousness as he looked around his pod. He felt as if he was upside down.

He was.

It wasn't the most glorious landing for an Overwatch Agent, but he couldn't do anything about it. If he tried to activate the jump jets, it would work like someone crushing a soda can, crumpling his tiny pod. He coughed and looked around for the hatch controls. He coughed, and looked around for the hatch controls.

" _Squad, what's your status? Did anyone get clear of that EMP Blast? Damn…you still with me, Valdez?_

"Yeah, just a second. I had a bit of a rough landing."

" _I think I hit something hard. My hatch won't open and I'm low on fuel. No emergency jumps for me, I'm locked in"_

Slight pause.

" _How about yours?"_

Valdez found the controls and opened the hatch. His seat belt had ripped away on impact so he tumbled to the floor. Valdez looked into the sky, which was an unnatural blue, with sapphire particles drifting through the air.

 _Snow? In Africa? Can't be. Must have been from the rupture._

In truth, the city was in less of a mess than Juan-Claudio expected. In truth the lower levels were barely touched. Trash cans undisturbed, few cars spotless, and even a small family of parrots cawed excitedly in one of the trees.

Juan-Claudio took of his Overwatch-emblazoned beret and wiped his forehead. " "Works great." He said with a small sarcastic bite.

" _Well, when you're done fooling around, I can use some help. I'm not exactly fighting noble here, Valdez."_

Valdez frowned angrily. The last thing he needed right now was for Dare to chew him out for something that wasn't even his fault. Landing upside-down in his pod was questionable, to say the least. Valdez was a hardened member of Overwatch. He knew better than to fall for some rookie mistake. Something most newbies screw up once….

"I sense I did something wrong, because the only thing that I regret about you and me is not knowing that you were a haunt when I first met you." He grinned to himself. "Would've been a lot less charming with dinner and all that, now would it?"

Mirembe didn't seem fazed by Valdez's reminiscence.

" _That's what I found charming about you, Juan: when your mouth was faster than your brain."_

Then she gave a small sigh, as if she was holding something back.

" _Look, don't start about my current relationship. You know what's been happening with my husband. We both agreed to end it soon enough."_

Valdez noticed that his heavy pulse rifle was stuck in its wall brace in the pod. He grabbed the bottom grip and the trigger. He gave it a good tug but the weapon was still stuck. He stretched his arms and grabbed the weapon again.

"I realize that, Mirembe." He grunted, pulling with all his might. "I'm a little _unclear_ on _details!"_

The rifle came loose and Valdez crumbled to the ground. He smacked his unarmored head off the concrete flooring. He got back up.

"You could've chosen at least one of the higher ups to give us proper guidance. Shimada. Oxton. Hell-even Blackwatch could've sufficed. Why did you choose me to lead this wild animal hunt?" Valdez chuckled. He realized he was in Africa.

" _First, you're the best Strike Sergeant I know. Might as well be up there with Morrison or Reyes. I will admit that. Secondly-"_

There was static.

" _-If you don't remember that night all that well-"_

Static again.

" _What you said to me that morning?"_

Valdez remembered that night. Overwatch's Agent Homecoming in Switzerland. That night, he had a few drinks and it was a blur in his memory. He remembered dancing, a wonderful dinner, and later on….well, let's just say he felt alive in the morning. He remembered looking upon Mirembe, still sleeping. Juan-Claudio rustled up her curly blonde hair. She opened her eyes slowly and smiled.

His thoughts were interrupted by a Talon Dropship that was hovering above the building, scanning the area.

"I remember no answer."

" _Could you repeat that, Valdez? You're breaking up on my side."_

"I said say put! I'll be right there."

Valdez grabbed his Heavy Pulse Rifle's charging handle and pulled it up hard. The digital ammunition counter displayed a full magazine inserted. Valdez personally was more of a standard issue fan. Sure, the ones used by Blackwatch were sleeker and more intended for stealth use, but it was if someone sanded away the power in the bullets.

He grabbed a few more magazine cells from the pod and started down the road. The street was deserted. Juan-Claudio not once saw a civilian, human or Omnic….nor a civilian corpse for that matter.

" _We were way off our intended LZ. There are Talon operatives all over the grid."_ Mirembe said, coming in over the earpiece. _"Stay low."_

"Thanks for the advice." Valdez said.

" _Well, it's not much of a rescue mission if you're dead, now is it?"_

"Well. Now you're coming in clear."

A few seconds of silence elapsed before Mirembe's annoyed voice came back. _"Just pick it up, Valdez."_

Valdez went a few hundred more feet until he came to a corner. There were a few smoking cars riddled with bullet holes and laser burns. Valdez knew it when he saw it. Talon-Controlled Omnics. Valdez heard stories where the heavy tanks could rip men apart. He saw them and killed them.

He was about to go down the open street to investigate when he heard a voice from behind him.

"Hey! Agent! Over here!"

Valdez hurled around and saw a few agents huddled behind a destroyed Overwatch armored car.

"Man, we saw your pod come down and crash into that other one. You're a lucky sonuvagun, you know that?"

"Luck was on my side for sure." Valdez admitted. "Strike Sergeant Juan-Claudio Valdez, Strike Force Double-O Seven-Seven. Who's the leader?"

The soldiers looked at each other. "Uhh…..That'll be you, sir." One of them said. "Our platoon leader was reduced to ground meat by those turrets."

"Damn. So did you see anyone else come down after me?"

"No sir. I couldn't see a thing after the blast."

The city went to hell mere minutes after the rupture.

"OK, Soldiers on me. We need to find my Intel Specialist."

"Yes sir!" they said and followed in step. One of the soldiers said,

"Sir, you know, some of these buildings are open on the ground floor. You could use them to flank Talon."

Valdez looked skyward. A few stories above him, there were some walkways which connected some buildings to others. He squinted, and saw some Talon Tanks lumbering down the street, shooting some Overwatch agents who had the misfortune of getting in their way.

"Thanks for the advice." Valdez said. "Come with me, and wait for me to drop a point."

The soldiers nodded and stayed behind Valdez, trying to stay in the shadows, despite their heroic blue uniforms sticking out in daylight like black sheep. The last thing these soldiers needed were to be spotted by Talon, then Mirembe would die for sure.

The hallway was dark and narrow. Valdez switched to his heavy pulse rifle. The close quarters plus the armor piercing rounds would be excellent against the shielded tank robots and even the snipers who hid behind their shields. A 25 round magazine seemed sufficient to take a Tank down, that and a healthy kick in the head.

Valdez rounded a corner and saw something that disturbed him. Lying on the floor was the boodied corpse of a Talon Agent. While the wounds were caused by projectiles, what struck the ODST odd was that they were caused by Sniper bullets. Maybe some Agents got lucky taking them down, or maybe something very strange had just happened...no, it couldn't have happened like that.

"What happened here?" Valdez asked out loud..

"Whoa. Yeah, this wasn't the first time we've seen dead Talon guys around here." The Australian Agent gave it a good kick in the mandibles. "Rotten git. I want to shake the hand of the bloke who ended these guys."

Valdez yanked one of the bullets from the corpse. The blood started to dry already. "Well, whatever happened, it wasn't too long ago. Come on, Agents."

They emerged in the afternoon light and crept across the bridge. "Agents, take up positions here and here." Valdez said marking two locations on his map, his arm computer reflecting against his sweating forehead.

"Roger." The Australian Agent said.

Valdez and his allies took cover for a minute, and then Valdez fired a bait shot at a soldier. Before the soldier hit the ground, he had already retreated behind an outcropping. Using his map, he watched as the Tank lumbered right in front of them.

"AGENTS, HIT 'EM NOW!"

The Humans unloaded a hail of power cell rounds on the approaching patrol. Valdez armed a grenade and tossed it down there. He counted to three and heard a _thump_ from behind his cover. He poked his head out and saw that all that was left of the soldiers was a strange mixing paste of blood. If Bayless were here, he would have called it 'art'.

" _No targets visible, sir_." one of the Agents said over the com line. Just when he poked his head out of cover, a red beam of energy went through his head, causing him to fall off the platform to his death thirty feet below.

" _Sniper!_ " the Australian said. " _Hit that bugger, sir_!"

Valdez carefully went into cover and activated his 5x zoom on his scope. Scanning ideal hiding spots; broken windows, rooftops, piping, and even bushes, he looked for the assailant. He noticed that the beam intercepted the Agent at roughly thirty degrees from the soldier's Northwest. He scanned that direction while trying to remain hidden.

"Gotcha" Valdez said happily.

The sniper in question was hiding on the top floor of a bus station. Thank God the soldier wasn't looking at him right now. Judging from the angle, the sniper appeared to be fixating on the surviving Agents.

"Strike Sergeant. Show yourself for a split-second, just hold your hand out to the right."

" _What_?!"

"Just trust me. You'll be fine."

The soldier did as he was told and sprung his arm out for half of a second. Valdez's gamble worked. The Talon agent looked straight at the arm and did one better, he fired off a shot that missed the soldier. Valdez then switched to his pistol and sent a single shot into the Talon Operative's head. The enemy agent teetered and fell of the bus station's roof, crashing into a parked car below it's position. The alarm went off unfortunately and the annoying horn spread all the way down the street. The frightened agents rejoined Valdez.

"You alright, guys?" he asked warmly.

"Y-yeah, thanks." The Strike Corporal whom he used as bait said.

"Told you would be fine." Valdez said, clapping the young recruit on the shoulder. "Come on, let's roll."

The walk should have been uneventful at most, but Valdez did come across more dead Talon agents. He was about to dismiss it when the Australian soldier held up.

"Hey, Sergeant, I think you may want to see this."

Valdez walked to where the young woman was. It was true that there were Talon corpses, but there were also Tank Spiders scattered about, and even more odd was that they seemed opposite of each other

 _Okay, seriously, what IS going on here?_

"Hey, Mirembe, what's with all the dead Talon agents?"

" _What do you mean?"_

 _Good, she's not dead. At least not yet._

"Looks like a family feud, like they were killed by the Tanks. Is there something I should know?

" _Sorry, Valdez. That's classified."_

Valdez frowned.

"Guess things never change." He thought out loud.

There was a large square down the road. Valdez and the surviving Agents kept an eye out for either Tanks or surviving Talon agents. They found some. A couple of Tanks were charging a single Talon who was squaring off with a fusion cannon. A full Tank pack shot at him continuously. The Agent's black armor reflected off the bright light of his cannon. He fired through two Tanks, decapitated the third, and reduced a fourth to shreds, but it was the fifth, a larger Tank, who wielded a heavy machine gun slammed it into the Agent, who was propelled into the air and landed nearly fifty feet away, his precious cannon slipping from his fingers and shutting down from the failsafe.

"Goddamn…." One of the agents was starting to say, but there was a small rumbling.

A Talon dropship descended from the sky, with agents coming out, carrying the corpse back to the ship.

" _Valdez! Report!"_

"I'm almost there!" He hissed.

 _I got multiple hostiles closing in on my pod! I need some support! If I don't make it…."_

"I'll make it."

" _Too late! They spotted me!"_

"Mirembe? Mirembe!? _Can you hear me!?_ "

"Sir…" The Australian Soldier said.

Valdez saw what he was talking about. Two heavily armed Omnic Titan Units dropped from a Dropship. They were imposing, near twenty feet tall, covered in rockets and heavy machine guns, and a huge pulse cannon. They were the closest thing Omnics could come to giant monsters.

"Titans! Oh, I do NOT have time for this." Valdez thought. He knew the only way to take down a beast of this size was to shoot them in special weak spots where the exposed wiring resided. Valdez had only taken two pairs down in his lifetime, with only a small platoon. He felt ready for a third. "I'll bait it here. Switch all weapons to full auto and when the Titan turns around, unload. Do you copy?"

There was a second before the survivors responded. "Yessir."

Valdez nodded and started running. "Alright. Wait for my command."

Juan-Claudio Valdez ran from behind the cars. He sighted his assault rifle on one of the monsters. He pegged one of them in the weak spot around the neck. The Titan rumbled in defiance and charged up its Energy Cannon. The beam of red light blasted a car next to him into the air, crashing to the ground in flames. Once he was sure that the beasts were facing him, Valdez called out, "Agents, fire now!"

The farther Titan however seemed to notice this, and flipped around using his shield as cover against the bullets. Valdez watched in horror as the bot shot its weapon into the tall grass where the Marines were hiding. That area burst into flames and the BIOMETER went dead for both those men. He shot the Titan away from him in the back until his magazine went empty. The beast roared and fell to the ground.

That Titan's bond brother roared and swiped the car Valdez was hiding behind away, with bloodlust in its voice.

"Oh no..." Valdez said getting to his feet.

The robot gave a vicious swipe which Valdez sidestepped. The shield slammed into the ground and made a large crack. Looking past this, he used this window to reload and fire a few rounds into the unprotected back of the Titan. To his fright, the mechanical beast took its shield and swung it over his head. Valdez quickly ran around the Titan. He spotted a few grenades on the ground that came from the dead Talon soldiers. He sprinted for one and kept it handy. When the Titan came for another swipe, he waited until he saw the wiring, and then tossed it there.

Perfect toss.

The Grenade landed on the wired spot and detonated, spraying the insides of the creature with white-hot spikes. It roared in pain as oil splashed on the ground. It twitched a few times and then died.

Valdez couldn't catch his breath though as he needed to get to Mirembe. he could never forgive himself if she died.

He went through the only door that was open and was treated to another computer message:

 _Attention, Travellers, please be reminded that goods can be recovered on the lower level._

Valdez looked over a railing and saw a crashed pod. He realized that whatever this computer was, it was trying to help him.

"Thanks."

" _Thank you for the review of Numbani Directory Services."_

Valdez skipped down the stairs two at a time. Mirembe's pod had a few curious Talon agents in front of it, firing their rifles into the frame. Valdez calmly shot all of them in the head.

He ran for the pod and looked for an outer emergency release. Finding it, he struggled to pull the door off.

"It's alright, Mirembe. I'm here….I've got you…"

He got to the door off, only discovering that the pod was empty.

"Oh, Dammit!...What?"

Behind him, on the concrete floor, was an gauntlet or glove of sorts. Valdez hadn't seen anything like it. It was big. It was shining like a beacon, and it was covered in some sort of golden armor. Nearby was a piece of Mirembe's armor, with a huge crack in it.

"Whoa…" Valdez said, his arm inching closer to touch it.

Suddenly, a sniper shot from a distance rang off, causing him to jump back. Valdez looked for who took that shot. On one of the catwalks was another Overwatch agent. Even from this distance Valdez could tell that this was Kimiko. She gave a friendly wave to Valdez, who returned it.

Something then got her attention. The gauntlet that Valdez was approaching started to make a whirring sound. She knew a time grenade like that. She took a leap to the ground and the gauntlet blew up, propelling the armor through a window, and stuck into the screen. There was only a few metal chunks left of the thing. It was if some giant homemade bomb went off.

When he got back up, Kimiko was in front of him,

"What was that? You think Talon had something to do with it?"

Kimiko didn't say anything. Valdez, remembering the drop, said "Oh, I get it. Permission to speak."

"No, I don't know what that was." Kimiko said.

Valdez looked at the pile of metal on the ground.

"Why'd you shoot at it, Kimiko?"

"It may have tried to kill you, just like it did Mirembe."

"Maybe. Did you hear from Bayless or Singh yet?"

" _Ie._ Their communication links went dead just after the explosion."

"Well, what about Spectre?"

She shook her head. Valdez looked up into the sky. These red particles still hung in the air. We need to get above this, link with Command. One of the drones must have seen where they hit the city."

Kimiko slung her sniper rifle over her shoulder casually. "So, we're infiltrating Mirembe's mission? Quite risky, Valdez." She went more serious. "Did she tell you what she wanted?"

"No, never did. That's not the point now. The only thing I care about is getting my Agents out of the city, including you, Kimiko."

Kimiko smiled. "Very well. Let's go, then."

They walked up the stairs and searched for an open door.

"Valdez, where did you land?"

"I was just going to ask you. You smell that?"

"Yes. Is that you?"

"Well, let's just say it involved taking down a giant robot and oil spewing around."

"Valdez, permission to stand ten feet from you for the rest of this mission."

"Kimiko, Please.


	5. Chapter 4: The Longest Trek

Chapter 4: The Longest Trek

5 November 2060, 2315 Hours (Military Calendar)

Ngume District, Numbani

Present Time….

Spectre stared at Mirembe's armor. What good was this thing as an Overwatch agent? Did it serve any purpose or was it just invented just to gloat that she was hanging it with Morrison and Reyes?

 _Blimey, what a useless piece of garbage._

There was no hope in salvaging this armor even if he wanted it. He slid his finger once more through it and placed it on the floor. He took a deep breath and looked one last time over Unity Plaza and Mirembe's pod.

 _Guess that means she's dead. Oh, well…._

" _Attention! Stuck on a boring day? Feeling fresh for adventure? Visit the Numbani Adawe National Park today! Children twelve and under are admitted free!"_

The voice came once more from this city, the Protector as it called itself. At first he dismissed it as rambling but when he saw video feeds of a crashed pod nestled on the ground on Numbani's outskirts, he was on his feet before he knew it. He didn't know the way to Adawe National Park, but he needed to get there one way or another.

 _Hey, if I'm lost, the bloody city's my torch!_

Spectre made his way back down to the atrium of the building he was in. He patiently looked around and then, an icon appeared in his vision. A beacon, approximately one thousand meters away in some sort of square. It would be a long walk but he needed to figure out if someone was there. He checked his ammo count and started with a light trot.

Midnight began to set in. Numbani was cast with illumination made by the many skyscrapers and towers. Automated lights began to flicker, casting the streets with a bright orange-tinted glow. 'my torch' indeed. Cars, plants and corpses became dark under the lights.

 _These will make good cover, if I need it._

He suddenly heard what sounded like talking coming over the incline. Spectre slunk into the shadow made by a truck and waited. The talking grew louder and louder until he spotted two Talon Agents walking down flanked by six others. Their voices were deep and gravel, perhaps by a voice modulator.

"….and you're sure the Strike Commander was within the city?"

"Quite positive. He was with a larger force of Overwatch agents looking to get rid of us."

"Looks like that didn't end up quite like they expected." The older one said, giving a humerous snort, relishing the destruction around him. "The buildings crumbled like sand. Must've been built by Omnics."

"We did see an Overwatch ship give chase to one of our ships.:

"Did we shoot it down?"

"Perhaps. Didn't hear about any wreckage."

"Maybe it did shoot it down."

"Best not to dwell upon it."

A couple of the soldiers behind the agents started to chatter nervously. They were mumbling too quietly for Spectre to understand what they were saying but the Agent's didn't have this problem.

"Quiet! Quit jabbering or you'll kill us all!"

This made the diminutive grunts even more nervous and they then glanced from side to side. Spectre decided he wanted to break them up a little. He marked them up with his visor, giving them an orange glow in his vision. He took aim at the rear agent who had the bright idea to kick at an Overwatch member's corpse.

He pulled the trigger.

An armor piercing round spun from his pulse rifle and hit the Agent in the head from behing. The wall was spattered with blood and brain matter. His companions whirled around at the noise of his corpse hitting the ground. He nailed another and made the rest aware.

"We've been spotted!" the senior Agent said. "Spread out!"

The agents, angered by the slaying of their comrades barked and sprinted from box to car to container looking for the assassin. One made the mistake of coming from behind Spectre's truck. The Overwatch Agent was startled by the creature, and took advantage of the darkness. Silently, he grabbed the Talon agent's head and snapped it to one side, producing a sickening crack of bone against muscle.

Under the burning flames of cries and birds, the kill was almost completely inaudible.

"Three down, five to go…" Spectre said to himself.

The Talon Agents continued to patrol the area, he hid himself inside the truck and waited for another one to notice the corpse. It was a double header as two Agents came. Two squeezes of the trigger on his rifle and both of them were down.

To his dismay, one of the pulse shots ricocheted and caused a whining sound. The remaining Agents cried in excitement.

"Found him! He's by the truck!"

Spectre needed an exfil. He needed to find a way out of the truck quickly. The front was not an option, as that was where the enemies were coming from. He then decided to go through the back. He unhooked the emergency door. What he also didn't know was that the doors had emergency sirens when people went out the back. Guildford, the city he was born in, didn't have many roads, and thus he didn't have as much knowledge on civilian vehicles.

Regardless, he knew exactly what the siren meant. It meant that he now had two bloodthirst Talon agents on his ass now. He whirled around to see them glaring at him. The Talon agents prepared to fire while the last Talon agent armed a bomb strapped to his chest and was ready for a kamikaze run.

Spectre saw plenty of this in Kings Row and was prepared for it another time. He plucked his pistol from his leg and indistinctively nailed the bomber between the visor-eyes of his helmet. The bomb was still active. The two agents facing him tried to get away

The bomb detonated in a fireball of radiation, heat, and electrical discharge. The truck was reduced to a burning shell. The Talon agents laid dead in the cabin with flaming skin giving off a stench of burning blood, sweat, and the smell of gasoline.

Spectre took a second to catch his breath. He honestly couldn't believe that he survived that one. He sat next to a wall, and took in the scene of destruction he inadvertently caused.

" _Attention, please vacate the road."_

Spectre gave a glance to the screen. The Protector symbol was there.

"Give me a sec." He said with a couple of breaths.

The Overwatch Agent got up and walked down the road. The beacon was getting stronger. What he noticed was the distinct lack of people.

"Where is everyone?"

" _Evacuation is in effect. Please remain calm."_

Spectre eventually came to a circular center. This must be where the beacon come from since the point on his visor was quite close. He took a look around it first. It appeared that this was a civic center as appealing statues dotted the perimeter, a festive water fountain was running in a courtyard which make this area calm, and several video billboards advertised new products and cars.

In the center was a statue of an African Chief. Normally, this would've seen pretty usual. The thing that piqued Spectre's interest, however, was an Overwatch aerial drone. It was wedged between the stand and the off-center statue. Laying a few dozen meters away was a care package from the drone.

"Where's the pod?" Spectre asked out loud.

" _Location: Adawe National Park. Status: Off-Limits."_

Great. Spectre walked all this way just to have the AI tell him that he couldn't get into the reserve. Just as well. He saw above that the only entrance to the Park was smashed by what he assumed was rubble from a building.

He angrily paced the area. He accepted the fact that he wasn't getting inside and just took a look at the package. He lifted at the device and was amazed at its weight. He looked at the piece of machinery and then to the broken drone.

 _Wonder where you've been today…_


	6. Chapter 5: Adawe National Park

Chapter 5: Adawe National Park

5 November 2060, 1630 Hours (Military Calendar)

Adawe National Park

Numbani

30 minutes after drop….

EXECUTE ACTION

….CAMERA ONLINE…..

ZENITH LANCER: [ONLINE]

ZENITH 1: [ONLINE

ZENITH 2: [WORKING…ONLINE]

ZENITH 3: [ONLINE]

The ARV-3 Was one of Overwatch's best UAVs: Capable of hitting close to three thousand kilomerters per hour. They had a large build cost but it was well worth it: Integrated AI in their matrix, advanced computer algorithms, and able to put up a fight. Overwatch used these drones to scout the immediate metropolitan area around Numbani. So far, it was the same thing over and over, damaged buildings, overturned cars, not to mention the predicted effects of a major EMP blast.

Blackwatch repurposed the drones. The blast that swept the city, it left an LZ behind. This would be a nice to fish to catch since if they could get their hands on the Talon landing zone, they could track the location of other Talon ships in or around the world. Zenith Lance was scouting the immediate area. This was Adawe National Park, the place where the blast believed to originate.

Strike Corporal John Bayless stumbled out of his pod. His landing was nearly perfect. If the sand where he set down hadn't been so hard, he would've given it a 10. Presently, he would have given himself a 9."

"Good Lord, thanks for getting me through another one of these. Thought I was going to be crushed under pressure for sure." He took a glance at his surroundings, taking everything in.

He appeared to be at a beach of sorts. Across the water, he could see an older city. Several streaks of AA fire shot from the ground and attempted to cut down Talon fighters, to little effect as the ships attempted to outmaneuver the heavy rounds.

Three drones flew over Bayless' head. They all streaked towards the city center, trailing vapor in their wake.

"At least we still got eyes in the sky" Bayless said to the drones. He grabbed a heavy rocket launcher and hefted it over his shoulder. He had used the weapon so much that Bayless felt that it was part of him, despite him having to sneak it under his leader's nose every time.

"I'd prefer to keep my boots on the ground though."

It looked like he landed in a safari zone. A couple of abandoned tourism jeeps showed that people left in a hurry. He even found a helpful directory which conveniently showed him where he was.

Walking up a worn path in the plants, he wondered if there were any animals left. He nearly jumped a foot when he saw two corpses of Rhinos. He pushed this out of his mind and advanced up the path. The metallic crackle of weaponry started to sound over the trees, which meant that some Overwatch agents had survived after all. That was great news. He definitely didn't want to go through alone.

He reached a line of trees and hid behind a shrub. Ahead of him, a small platoon of Overwatch agents hid behind a jeep. They were firing a salvo of shots at a squad of Talon Agents headed by a Captain. He didn't want to bee seen, so he crouched down. One of the Agents spotted him.

"Agent! You mind giving us a hand over here? Help us secure this vehicle!"

Bayless gave a quick glance towards the Talon forces. He then took a deep breath and made a run across the open ground. He felt a few bolts of pulse fire ricochet off his armored legs, but didn't stop. When he saw a grenade flying towards him, he lept with all his might to the safety of the overturned jeep. The grenade blew up and showered the agents with dirt.

"Nice one" One of them said.

"Thanks. What's the situation here?" Bayless replied, checking the ammo count on his launcher.

"The entire godforsaken park is overrun with Talon agents. We're supposed to meet with our Strike leader but in case you haven't noticed, we're a little underpowered."

Bayless nodded, noticing the Talon station. "Alright. Let's get this jeep flipped. Grab a part of it's hull."

The Agents did as they were told.

"Ready? On three…. _THREE!_ "

They all pulled with all their might and used the body of the jeep to absorb some of the enemy fire. They pushed even more until it thudded on all four tires.

"OK. Whos gonna man the turret?" Bayless asked. He didn't get a response from the agents who exchanged clueless looks. "Alright, you babies, I'm going. I'm going."

He carefully climbed onto the mounted gun. He thumbed the trigger and sent a salvo of heavy pulse rounds into the Talon squad. They seemed to fly apart as their bodies absorbed the energy from the gun. Soon, there was nothing but a few bloody corpses. Bayless smiled. He stepped down from the Energy cell LMG and nodded to the Agents.

"Thanks. You take the wheel. We need to get this thing on the road." The Agent climbed into the gun turret and pulled back on the charging lever. "Our officer needs to clear this sector."

Bayless sat in the driver's seat and activated the jeep. He felt the cylinders pump as it burned fuel. Back in California, Bayless had been a truck driver for Lumerico. He remembered several nights on the open roads with the moon shimmering in the sky, from Venice Beach-his hometown-down to San Diego, to Dorado, and back again.

This was where he belonged, behind the wheel. He slammed on the gas and fishtailed around. Bayless spotted two more jeeps in a firefight with Talon forces.

" _Nice of you guys to show up,"_ an agent said. _"We could use a hand. Guess you weren't lying around on the job, were you, Keyes?"_

" _Absolutely not, sir! One of the Secondaries showed up and lent assistance!"_

" _Nice to see them show up. OK, let's clear it out! Aw shit…Heavy Tank coming through!"_

" _Guess this isn't our day…"_

John saw the tank coming over the hill. He nervously eyed the mortar that was aimed in his general direction. If they layed even a close shot, the splash damage would knock them over, making them open targets for the tanks gunner.

He pushed this out of his mind. "Alright, Agents. Try to hit it from behind. I'm gonna try to flank it."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his passenger make the sign of the cross.

 _Don't worry man, the Lord's got something good today._

He pulled up close to the tank.

"Target the gunner!"

The Agent, Keyes, agreed and sprayed the Talon soldier manning the turret with armor piercing rounds. He slumped dead over the gun, causing it to fire into the tank. While the drier wasn't killed, it got a few holes in the hull.

"Come on, you sonuvabitch, ram me…"

Bayless got his wish. He saw the tank speed up. Just when it was about to make contact, he pulled the handbrake and drifted clear.

" _NOW!"_

Keyes unloaded into the tank's rear. His rounds sliced into it and soon, it belched fire. The tank exploded, showering the hill with hundreds of black and gray hull plates. The agents whooped and hollered as they mopped up the rest of Talon.

" _Not bad, Agent."_ One of the Agents said over the COM.

"We're not done yet!" Bayless yelled looking skyward. "Eyes up-Talon Dropships in our area!"

" _I see it. All units, engage the target!"_

Blue smoke streaked from the other Jeep's pulse rifles. The dropship answered by shooting back it's own salvo of energy beams.

"Just a little more…"

The forward turret exploded. The side-gunners angrily tried to nail the Agents but they were too fast. The Dropship dropped its load of two squads and fled, bleeding energy cells from its broken turret.

"That's right! You better run!" He turned sharply to run over a couple of Talon soldiers, spraying the windshield with blood. Bayless felt a burning in his arm. He realized that one of the soldiers managed to hit him with a pulse round. While it didn't make contact with his skin, it superheated the armor. He needed to get something on it or he'll get burnt. He introduced the Talon soldier to his axel and then unwrapped his forearm guard and tossed it to his feet, allowing his burned wrist to get some air.

"That may be the last of them!" Keyes said. "Sector's clear and we have some backup."

There was some slight static over the com link as an older-sounding man came on.

"Say again, agent? I've got drones overhead!"

"Sir, Strike Corporal John Bayless reporting for duty!" Bayless announced.

" _Nice of you to drop in, Corporal! Head to the next part of the park: Link up with the second platoon. They've taken many casualties and could use assistance."_

"Roger that! I'm on the move!"

His passenger leaned over as they took a bend in the road. "Where's the rest of your unit, Agent?"

Bayless shrugged, keeping his eyes to the road. "Scattered. Dead. Dunno." Truth be told, it wasn't on the top of his priority list.

The agent sighed. "Too bad. We need all the help we can get."

The convoy entered the second section and went uphill. As Bayless rounded the bend, he saw a soldier making a run for it.

"Warn the Leader! The enemy has breached o-" The soldier didn't get to finish as he was sucked under Bayless' jeep.

"Shut it." Bayless simply said. He gasped and pulled the wheel as he just avoided some Enemy fire. He narrowly missed the Stationary turret's plasma bolts.

"Hit it now!" He ordered the gunner. After about five seconds of continuous fire, the station exploded in a shower of sparks. Fishtailing around, he managed to go head to head with a Talon Jeep and made a hell of a fender-bender. The driver was thrown free of the vehicle and threw about fifty feet before sliding another ten to his death.

"Buckle Up-It's the law!" Keyes called spraying the soldiers as they ran for cover. Behind them, the rest of the convoy was barely keeping up. Bayless then went to a ravine of sorts.

" _Nice work! You're nearly at our objective!"_

"Good. What is the objective?"

" _You know that EMP blast that wiped the city? We need to secure it's last known location, and snatch an asset. That's what command says, at least."_

"What's the asset?"

" _Hell if I know. The last time I heard, they were talking about something "classified"._

"That's command for you."

Bayless wheeled his jeep across the ravine and came to a square. Ahead of him seemed to be the exit to the park. It was closed and the huge amount of Talon forces didn't seem willing to let them through.

"All units! Make for that center building!"

The vehicles altered their direction and went for the only standing building. When they got close, a blue flare shot from the roof.

"Looks like we found the platoon!" Keyes said.

They pulled up and ran up the stairs. A Strike Sergeant was taking potshot at an approaching Talon ground unit.

"Strike Corporal John Bayless." Bayless said, acknowledging his rank.

The Sergeant nearly jumped an inch.

" _CHERT!"_ he exclaimed, in a thick Russian accent. "Do not do that!" He took a deep breath. "Corporal, eh? We could use some help."

"What is it you need, sir?"

"Those tanks down there" The sergeant said pointing to the tanks queuing up their positions just east of the main entrance. "They have been giving us hard time. Can you do something to them?"

"Of course." Bayless said, unslinging the rocket launcher from his back.

"A launcher? I didn't know it was your birthday!" One of the Sergeant's men commented.

"Alright, take some weight after me, guys!" Bayless requested as he took up another position. The platoon complied by giving him some covering fire. Using this to his advantage, he sighted the rocket launcher on one of the tanks. He thumbed the trigger, and a rocket shot through the sky and through the tank in a matter of three seconds. It sputtered for a second, and then exploded in a scarlet-orange fireball. The other tank tried to run, but Bayless didn't give it a chance. He slashed it with another Rocket and watched as the pilot tried to douse the flames from a cockpit.

Horrified at the unholy power, the Talon agents surrounding the now-destroyed tanks turned around and ran. They were easy targets for Overwatch's snipers.

"Area is secured." Bayless reported.

The sergeant shook his head. " _Net._ We will take it the rest of the way….if we can get you to clear it out ahead.

"Not a problem, sir!" Bayless said. "Anyone from the first unit, get back downstairs, we need to link up with this colonel!"

Back in the jeep, he turned to the Agent riding shotgun. "Where is the Colonel exactly?"

"Near the blast's point of origin. We took care of the armor so we can roll across the bridge." He pointed just up ahead at a suspension bridge that led to yet another part of the Park

Just as Bayless and the convoy proceeded over the span, he heard a horrible, earthshaking sound of grinding metal that could be heard for kilometers. Looking in the distance, he saw a gazelle-shaped skyscraper tear in two. Like god himself slashed the building with a katana, the top half began to slowly slide off the top of the building, the sound of metal screeching through the auburn sky.

That wasn't even the worst of it. The massive support structures which steadied the building slid off and fell all over the city. One came so close that they even saw the dust from the impact. According to the Agents, this was exactly where the objective was.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?" Bayless demanded.

"Must've been the attack." Keyes said breathlessly. "Unless whoever or whatever it is has attacked already."

Then, his com crackled. There was plenty of static but a man's voice came through, but it was bad, real bad.

" _All Overwatch Units…"_ The Colonel said, coughing multiple times. " _…target asset is on the move. Everyone clear the area…before….more debris….comes down…"_ He coughed a few more times before his voice trailed off.

" _Colonel? SIR!? Dammit, he's gone!"_ The Agent over the radio gained his composure back. " _Keep on heading up the hill. We need to get out of this park!"_

The origin point of the blast was smaller than Bayless expected. He rounded the corner of a ridge and surveyed the area.

" _Watch it, they got multiple tanks!"_ one of the other jeeps reported. _"They've spotted us! Scatter!"_

A flak round hit their area. Bayless' jeep was thrown about. The Agent in shotgun was ejected. Bayless didn't see him land.

"Status Report!" He barked.

" _Lost Bjornsen! Kiowani's gone too!"_ the surviving jeep said. _"My transmission's faulty! I'm making a run for it!"_

"Good luck , Agent." Bayless turned his head and something caught his attention. A small flash, like a mirror was shining at him. He made a beeline while hundreds of voices screamed. He lept over the small ridge and ditched the jeep. He and Keyes were excited to see where they were. It seemed like it was a small, ramshackle hospital of some sort.

"Glad to see at least two others are alive." An agent said. He was the one who flashed them with a piece of rearview mirror.

"Are we safe here?" Bayless responded, panting.

"To an extent, yes. They think that you've probably jumped off a cliff or something." The Agent redirected his eyes towards their bodies. "Agent, you're hit!"

Keyes laughed and thought it was a joke, until he looked at his abdomen and saw that a spike of sorts was wedged into his armor. The spell broke, and suddenly he was hyperventilating. The agent called a medic to help Keyes.

"The hell?" Bayless asked?

"It's common for people to overlook these injuries when in combat only to realize them later" The medic said passively. "Don't be surprised, you're burnt."

Bayless remembered his forearm, and the burning returned.

"Just lay down here and I'll put some medication on it."

Bayless laid down, relishing the soft mattress.

"Best thing I've felt since I was recruited" He said jokingly.

While the medic worked on his arm, he heard some sort of jabbering to his right. A scraggly Agent apparently snapped while under combat. Bayless had to stop and listen.

"no, no, NO! You're not listening! It's a show, okay!?"

The female Indian medic who was with him shrugged and continued her scan.

"Well, technically, this is a park, not a theatre."

The wounded man bit back, " _Impossible!_ This place is one…big….CIRCUS!"

The medic was definitely not in the mood to hear this. "Listen, you're wounded. Try to relax."

He went right on. "Except, except….We're the GAZELLES! All fenced in and ready to be feasted on!"

The medic played along. "And Talon"

"The BIG, SCARY LIONS! ROOOOOOOAR!"

Bayless bit his lip, trying hard to keep a straight face.

"I believe you just strained a metaphor…"

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod, is that serious!?"

"Not if you keep it up."

Bayless tapped the woman's shoulder. "Will he be alright?"

"Oh, of course. I'll give him a dosage of Dramamine. Maybe the chems'll put him to sleep. Frankly, I'm tired with these men, snapping and talking about their mummies or their pets…"

"….and done!" the medic said, rewrapping Bayless' forearm guard.

John looked at his arm. A thick layer of gauze covered the spot where he was burned. He didn't even notice the work. "Rad!" he said with the amazement clearly audible in his voice.

The medic nodded in appreciation. "Not a problem."

"As for Keyes?"

"Poor kid went into catatonic shock. Hard to believe he didn't notice the wound."

"Well, he'll be okay, right?"

"If the spike didn't puncture vital arteries, he'll be fine. As of right now, fighting is the last thing he should be doing."

Bayless asked in a somber tone. "….as for the Colonel's body?"

"Well, what was left of it, anyway…" He said hooking a thumb over his shoulder to a bodybag. An Italian flag was draped over it.

Bayless cursed. "How many fighting personnel are there?"

"Besides us, nobody. You know those Agents in the convoy didn't make it?

"You're joking. I'm basically a lone wolf here?"

"Essentially. I mean, we can still shoot a gun, but we're just the medical division."

Fan- _friggin-_ tastic!

"Alright. I need an opening. I have to secure the point of origin."

"Yeah….about that. We just received orders from Overwatch command. The whole mission is out of the question after the building collapsed. You need to get out of here."

"How!?" Bayless asked.

"A hole, door. Anything."

Bayless heard the whine which suggested a Talon patrol.

"Are you going to be alright here?" Bayless asked with concern.

"We'll last as long as we can." The medic said. Even as he heard this, Bayless could see the uncertain look in the man's eyes.

"I can find a transport vehicle."

"Forget it. Go. If we can find a way, we'll follow." These men need our help. The medic snapped a salute. "To quote the head of medical, Angela Zeigler, 'heroes never die.'"

Bayless hugged the ridge wall and looked for the vehicles, he saw one speeding by, piloted by an operative. He plucked his pistol from his thigh and aimed it. Making a shot that would make Kimiko green with envy, he nailed the operative from the moving craft. The vehicle slid to a halt.

Bayless pried the pilot from the seat and started up the machine. He pushed the colony out of his mind, that was behind him. Right now, he focused on getting out of the park.

He slammed the front into a Captain's back and chopped its head off. He also burned a squad of agents as they cowered next to a large rock. He boosted over the landing pad and accelerated up the path.

Bayless saw some bolts fly past his vehicle. He whipped the vehicle around and blasted another craft as it tried to sneak up past him. The vehicle careened into a rock wall and exploded.

Looking ahead, he saw a sizeable hole in the reserve's walls. He boosted and felt the fire at his back as the Talon operatives shot…

He made it.

Then came the moment of free-fall as he fell over one hundred feet. He yelped as he was thrown free of the vehicle and rolled twice. He found himself staring at the pavement.

He looked skyward.

"Augh! Good Lord! I didn't train to be a pilot! Tell me I don't have to fly today."

He heard a rumble as a drone corkscrewed into the Park statue of an African Lord. The drone was wedged in their pretty tightly. Bayless could've sworn he saw a component fly off of it.

Shaking his arms, smiling, he checked the load on his pistol and ran into the city. After running through a park full of Talon, nothing could stop him now.


End file.
